Time to release your inner Yosemite Sam...

   Ordinarily I wouldn't advocate this, but it's in a good cause. One of the keys to becoming a better audience involves developing and honing your powers of visualization, in order to enter into the spirit of the performance. Now that the IndyFringe schedule is up on-line, it's as good a time as any for you to get a head start on this, as part of your preparations for attending The Best Audience Ever. The first thing you should do is to go to this link:

   Before you watch the classic of world cinema I've directed you to, a couple of words of guidance. I'm about to tell you to identify with and imitate one of the principals of this little drama, but only in certain ways. Becoming the best audience ever (especially at a performance of The Best Audience Ever) does NOT involve anything like this:

   Instead, there's a part of the cartoon I want you to pay special attention to: it occurs around one minute and fifteen seconds in. You should watch the sequence over and over again. Do everything in your power to get into a zen-like state of total spiritual receptivity while doing so. Dim the lights; put on soft, calming music; light aromatherapy candles; in short, take every measure necessary to loose yourself from the bonds of daily care, the better to shed your everyday persona, and allow your inner being to be enveloped by a different consciousness.Then, as you continue to watch this section, begin to repeat to yourself the following mantra:

"Gimme a ticket--gimme a whole mess of 'em--I'm a-splurgin'!"

   The rest is simplicity itself. Follow this link and click where it says "purchase tickets". Don't feel committed to a-splurge and buy a whole mess (unless you know a whole mess of people who'd like to spend about an hour having fun). All contributions, as they say, are gratefully appreciated. Who knows...you might even get to see Fearless Freep.

   If you DO feel like a-splurgin', though, there's a lot of good stuff at IndyFringe for you to a-splurge on. For instance, here are a few shows by folks we know:

Andrea Merlyn's Book of Secrets: Vol.2

Camelot is Crumbling: An Arthurian Nightmare

Lou Sanz: Not Suitable for Children

Phil the Void: Motherbanking Bankholes

Rebel Without A Niche

The Road to Nowhere

Screw You Revue: Deja Vu

   We're going to try and get out to see all of these...and more besides. The great thing about a fringe festival is that it's full of surprises and hidden gems. There may even be a high-divin' act.